Lester George, ASGCA (George Golf Design) may not have seen it all…but he has seen (and experienced) a lot. The Virginia-based golf course architect has designed 11 First Tee facilities and countless practice facilities, not to mention his positive impact on some of the top courses in the mid-Atlantic region, including Kinloch and Ballyhack Golf Clubs.
“Virginia is my home,” George told Golf Course Industry‘s Guy Cipriano in a “Tartan Talks” podcast. “There is as much diversity as any state in the mid-Atlantic. We have the beach, we’ve worked up the rivers in Chesapeake Bay Region, in Richmond and from Roanoke to Southwest Virginia…this is home.”
Overall, George has worked from Maine to Florida. Through it all, he has built his business on one word: versatility.
“It’s certainly what has put us on the map,” George said. “We’ve thought outside the box and taken opportunities to grow the game. We were instrumental and fortunate in Richmond to help start up the First Tee program nationally, and have built three First Tee facilities in Richmond.
“We’ve also put time and emphasis into practice facilities. I watched PGA professionals and how they were teaching. I thought there was a need for better facilities for them to teach and learn and let students practice. I was intrigued by how practice was being conducted.
“I’m not a PGA Professional, but I could see they would be better served by better facilities. Always driven by client needs.
“What you pursue and get done is the foundation for what you get asked to do moving forward.”
The complete “Tartan Talks” podcast can be heard here.